On January 1, 2026, nearly 11.9 million people have a Dutch drivers license, 6.6 percent more than at the beginning of 2019. Nearly 7.2 million private car owners are registered. That is 9.8 percent more than at the beginning of 2019.
Drivers license ownership among 18- to 30-year-olds decreased from 69.6 percent in 2019 to 67.7 percent in 2026. Car ownership increased from 26.4 percent to 28.3 percent. Seventeen-year-olds can also have a drivers license, but they may only drive with a supervisor and are therefore excluded from this article.
Not every license holder also has a car; especially people under 30 more often have a drivers license than a car. In 2026, nearly 1.9 million 18- to 30-year-olds have a drivers license, of whom nearly 794 thousand own one or more cars.
At the beginning of 2026, 85.8 percent of people in their forties (nearly 1.9 million people) have a drivers license. Seven years earlier, this was 88.6 percent.
Car ownership also decreased slightly, from 53.3 percent to 53.1 percent (over 1.1 million people).
Among people aged 75 and older, the number of drivers license holders (nearly 1.2 million) and the number of car owners (nearly 865 thousand) are closest to each other. In this group, drivers license ownership increased the most. 63.8 percent had a drivers license at the beginning of 2026. Seven years earlier, this was 54.2 percent.
Car ownership also increased in this age group. At the beginning of 2026, 47.6 percent had one or more cars, compared to 42.2 percent at the beginning of 2019.
On January 1, 2026, drivers license ownership among people aged 18 and older is highest in the municipality of Tubbergen (93 percent). Then follows Staphorst with 92.5 percent and Renswoude with 91.5 percent. Drivers license ownership is lowest in Amsterdam at 62.4 percent.
In municipalities with many students, drivers license ownership is usually lower. Also, in some border municipalities, relatively few people have a Dutch drivers license. They may have a foreign drivers license.
The number of car owners among people aged 18 and older is highest in Noord-Beveland at 60.9 percent. In second place is Alphen-Chaam with 60.8 percent, followed by Roerdalen and West Maas en Waal, both with 60.4 percent.
Amsterdam has the fewest car owners; 26.2 percent of the inhabitants have one or more cars. In urban areas, car and drivers license ownership is generally lower than in rural areas.
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